July 21, 2011 9:35 pm

UPDATE as of 8:30 p.m.:

A Federal Way police officer shot and killed a suspected armed shoplifter outside a Walmart tonight.

The incident started about 5:30 p.m. when loss prevention officers inside the store called police to report the suspected thief. Several officers responded to the store in the 1900 block of S. 314th Street and set up a perimeter to confront the shoplifter.

When the shoplifter emerged 35 minutes later, he bolted 40 yards through the parking lot after police tried to approach him.

“At one point, he stopped, reached down for his gun that was on his ankle and turned on the officers,” Kent police Lt. Pat Lowery said. “The officers saw the gun and one officer fired upon him.”

Kent police are investigating the shooting.

The man, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene. Lowery said he had a handgun holstered to his ankle.

The officer involved in the shooting is an eight-year veteran of the Federal Way Police Department. He has been placed on administrative leave during the investigation, which is standard procedure.

Nobody else was injured in the incident.

UPDATE as of 7:10 p.m.: The man shot by a Federal Way police officer has died, police said.

ORIGINAL POST: A Federal Way police officer has been involved in a shooting in the Walmart parking lot in the 1900 block of South 314th Street, police spokeswoman Cathy Schrock said.

@ Tolygrad ; What country do you live in? NO ONE has to register their guns in the U.S.! It is against the constitution and rightly so. It is illegal for the government to amass a list of who owns what guns.

The thief must have had quite a lot to do if he was in there for over half an hour after the police were called. Wonder what they found on him?

My sympathies are with the officer: he may have saved lives, including his own, but having to take a life, even to do that, is a heavy burden for any relatively normal human being. I hope he’s getting the support he needs.

Waiting for more details on this. A thief runs 40 yards from police in the parking lot, then stops to draw a gun from his ankle? Would have been better to keep running. Both officers saw they gun but only one fired. Did the other one freeze up that moment, or did he see a reason not too shoot? Wonder if that Walmart has cameras covering the parking lot?

Hey Pikgitar–read your own link. This so called witness even says he isn’t sure. Allhe knows is “it all happened so fast that I just wanted to get the f— out of there” His attention was only drawn when the cop fired.

And for those who want to say the thief got shot because he was a shoplifter. You are stupid. He got shot because he was drawing a gun to kill someone.

I suggest everyone to read that blog that pikgitar linked. What a bunch of idiots log on to that thing. No matter what this investigation reveals, in thier minds the cop is already guilty of murder. We are living in a violent society folks, get used to it because there is more to come.

hahaha @pikgitar. Here’s a quote from “The witness dude”…..”Just saying what I saw buddy. Not saying its the facts its just what I SAW. Memory is not a very good source for sh&$ like this. The adrenaline was pumping, my brain was trying to figure out what the hell just happened.” ………Ummm yeah, a totally awesome witness dude, like whoa buddy, what a knarly story.

LOL, You’re right on! (pazzo242)
I still don’t trust P.D. or Sheriff either. They…not all of them are bad cops. Witnesses can free to eyewitness on Officers of any wrong-doing to people. Camera snaps at any officers who attacked someone. Let’s do it for proof. That’s only way. Wish to throw away officers and loser, if made mistakes; fired or prisons. That’s it!

It’s been about a week now and still nothing being said by the cops regarding this incident. Wonder what that means. Generally when the cops have the gun they release a picture of it and why are the cops still keeping the Walmart videos from the public? Just wondering….and waiting. You cops lovers are going to be eating your words. Just saying.

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